spring frustrations?

It is spring – at least in my part of the world. It is time to get out there without the limitations of gloves, jackets, shoe covers and blistering cold winds. With those things out of the way, there are still a few frustrations. What could they be you ask? After all – it IS spring. I agree, but there are a few frustrations, allow me to share.

Wind. Yes, spring brings the wind. I must say, I am mostly OK with that as long as the weather is nice. Wind only reminds us that spring is here … and it is not blistering cold.  After all – it just makes you stronger – correct? Often I retreat into the tree-lined dirt roads on especially windy spring days; like I do in the winter.

What about Road conditions? That ‘old’ snow/icy mound that is -in reality – a mix of brown ice, sand and litter melting on the side of the road. Thankfully I no longer endure that as I did when I lived in Connecticut. In those days I think I was in better physical condition in the winter than I was at the end of spring. In spring the roads were full of the above mix and the trails were muddy because of a similar melt going on there. Blah. Riding was limited at best. At least in the winter all was frozen – hard. No mud. You can always ride the trails on frozen ground. I now live in a more temperate location, so I do not have to deal with that. Choices.

Fitness can also be frustrating. On a spring group ride there are those that who show up fit and those who show up FIT. With the ‘ease’ of indoor training nowadays and the focus on FTP, there are many who use their winter to improve fitness. In the past it was a time to slow down and then start riding distance, endurance but not speed. Maybe even cross-train with another sport. Now, some come out of winter quite fit and very fast. As long as you do not burn out during the season – great. Although I might not want to join you for those early spring rides. I would like to get my legs under me a bit more before I join you.  

Yes, it is frustrating to be reasonably fit and then the guy that has trained like a pro all winter comes out and wants to ‘crush’ every ride. A bit much a bit too soon I say. That is frustrating enough, but what is really difficult (at least for me) is the very fit (FTP wise) that lack bike handling skills. A dangerous combination. Skill (or lack thereof) is frustrating and dangerous.  

Let me give you an example from another sport before I continue. I was racing my bike heavy when roller blades became popular. I rented a pair for the weekend to try them out. I went to a local bike path, strapped them on and quickly enjoyed great speed because the motion and muscles of cycling translate quite well to roller blades. I could fly on those things and roll forever. However, my skill at roller blades was far below my fitness at roller blades. There is way more to that sport than just going fast. Turning and stopping are a few I believe are important. Things like that are skill based, not fitness based. I was roller blading at fairly extreme speeds while trying to learn those basic skills. Good news is I realized it quickly and tempered my actions (speed). I did learn those skills (basically) and enjoyed myself. It was the last time I put on a pair of roller blades. Not my thing. Back on topic now.

The same can be said for some cyclists that spend the winter on the indoor trainer and then go outside to ride with a group. They are fit, and they can go fast. They can hang with the fast group. It is not uncommon for bike handling skills to be lacking. Some are ‘temporarily lacking.’ What I mean is, they have been riding inside for a few months and have become accustomed to pulling on the handlebars with abandon and/or moving on the seat with vigor … throwing bodyweight around in any manner just to propel the pedals forward …  just to produce one more watt. After all, there is no balance or steering required indoors.  I know, some new trainer ‘games’ have a rocker plate and a steering option – but you and I both know it is still very far off from being outside on a bike and with others. Unless you are on rollers you must really go to extremes to wreck your indoor bicycle simulator. Yes, I know people that have. Back on topic though. The dangerous part now is that the person who was training indoors and is very fit is outside, and once the power gets put down, those individuals are ‘all over the road’. Steering (or lack thereof) in a dangerous manner. Now – we were speaking of the ‘temporarily lacking’ skills group. Those folks have fallen into bad habits but have enough miles ‘on the road’ that it does not take long to get back in the rhythm. Usually, they recognize their temporary limitation immediately (hopefully on a solo ride) and correct it. Problem solved.

The other group has not spent enough time outside riding to have those skills. They scare me. It occurs more frequently now. They have the power/speed/fitness to stay with the fast group (at least at the start). Their skills are not equal to their fitness, and thus they are dangerous – always. Sometimes that danger is not clear until the pace heats up. Everyone is more at risk when they are on the edge. This group is really at risk – to themselves and to others. Many periodization manuals stress skill development time. Good for them. I ask that advice to be heeded. Most individuals today lean toward fitness being the trump card. You can only go as fast as you can control the bike. Or – maybe I should say – you should only go as fast as you can control the bike.  

When I raced my mountain bike, I was not often the most fit at the race, but I placed well in races. Why? Bike handling. When the trail got ‘hairy’ (translated – rough, technical, scary), I was passing people. I had endurance, and I had bike handling skills. When the race neared the end, my endurance was wearing down, but residual endurance combined with skill allowed me to continue quickly. As others fatigued so did their (already limited) bike handling skills, whereas mine showed even stronger.  

Another example. Large ride in rocky mountains. Descending a mountain. People on bikes everywhere. There was a time when I was truly scarred. There were those descending at a rate of speed that exceeded their skill level. They were cutting in front of me, all over the road. It happens.  

Yes, skills are important. But, most of us are not racing you say? Hmmmm, not racing but still hyper focused on FTP? Many of us ride in groups or even with another person. Bike handling skills are radically important when riding with others. Cycling is a sport in which an error on your part might not cause you to crash but might cause many others to crash. It is part of the sport, but we should desire to be safe … for ourselves and others. Skills help us each ride better, smoother, faster, safer, more enjoyable for all.

Really big group rides? Personally, It is not my thing. Again with the heresy! Why?  Partly because it is just too many people for me. Personal preference. I have been there and done that. I am all for it; it is just not currently my preference. Partly because I know the dangers of the ‘unknown’ skill level of others that might end up in my group. I was self-employed for many years and a wreck was the end of income. Something simple like not knowing how to maintain your speed while moving from a seated to standing position can cause the rider behind you to crash … sending everyone behind them down. I have broken my collarbone (twice), had plastic surgery on my ear, lost teeth, lost skin, etc. all gained from the seat (or abruptly leaving the seat) of my bike, and I prefer to avoid adding to that list.  

I do enjoy group rides. Smaller groups are especially fun. A small group with 1 or 2 new people is how I enjoy adding others to our group. It is natural, they trickle in and become part of our group. Currently my group rides are mostly with my local club. Regardless, we should always make the time to ride slower and help newcomers develop those important skills. For them, for you and for the cycling community.

How do you ride? Most often with a group or most often alone? Would you ride different if there were more people to ride with? What spring frustrations do you have? Have you met the person with high fitness and low skill? How did that turn  out?